I have spent the last four years studying to be a catechist. I have felt called to be a catechist for even longer. It wasn’t until my college years that I really grasped the significance of the calling of the catechist. While I grew in my understanding of the role of the catechist, I grew in my love and passion for that calling. Jesus Christ calls us to make disciples of all nations. We canNOT neglect any people as we seek to bring the Good News of Christ to others. All people have a right to the truth. When we have come to know the truth, we have the right, the responsibility, and the obligation to share that truth with others.

St. Paul proclaims, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). When one has encountered truth and been enraptured by its beauty, they cannot help but to preach the Gospel. Imagine finding out the best news you’ve ever heard. Would not want to tell everyone with whom you come in contact?? That is ultimately the role of the catechist. We are called to bring that truth to others. We are to guide others to these truths, which have impacted our lives so drastically. Whatever our calling, we can share these truths. Our different callings can determine the way in which we share it, but we are all called to share it. And why would we not want to??

I am currently preparing to go out into the field and to take up my role as a catechist. This vocation is a daunting call. Paul himself says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). Well dag-nabbit! Jesus had said a couple decades previously, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). Well that is absolutely terrifying. The souls of many little ones are entrusted to our care. It should be my mission to get them to Heaven. Thus, if something that I do makes it difficult for them to get to Heaven, I will be judged harshly because of it.

Additionally, we are called to sow the seeds of the Kingdom amongst those of the world. Catechists are called specifically to sow these seeds to their students. It can be tempting to see students who do not seem to care, and think that they are not worth the effort, that they would be wasted effort. However, if we recall from the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13), the sower sows the seeds indiscriminately. Despite the rocky ground, or the thorns, or what-have-you, the sower sowed the seed. We are called to do the same. As the quote at the beginning says, “we must sow the seed, not hoard it.” It is not our responsibility to decide who is worthy of it. All of them have a right to the truth. Thus, we must seek to SOW the seeds to ALL, constantly praying for their conversion toward the Lord. We cannot neglect this calling.

I am preparing, as I said, to go out into the world. Some would say that I have spent the last years in a bubble. In a certain sense, that is true. But I will be honest, and say that I needed that bubble. The world can be a harsh place. Now that I have grown in my own relationship with the Lord and my knowledge of Him, I have been prepared to put out into the deep. At the end of every blog post, I put Duc In Altum. With all of the words I write, there is some sort of message that I hope people will take away from it. No, I’m not perfect, and I don’t expect people to try to be like me. (I don’t want more of me in the world.) Rather, in my years of study and observation, there are some things that I’ve learned that I hope to pass on. I hope that you can take that and bring it into your own life. Thus, I hope that you, along with me, can Duc In Altum, put out into the deep of the world. The world is harsh, but we are called to live out in the world, but not live of the world. Thus, I challenge you, as I challenge myself, to go out into the deep of the world, seeking to bring God’s love to all. Sometimes we’ll fall. Often we’ll fall. But we need to learn to pick ourselves up.

“Life is not about how hard you hit;it’s about how hard you can get itand keep moving forward.”